Golf-ball tee



Sept. 7 1926. 1,599,310

R. n EY LLLLLLLLLLL EE Patented Sept; 7, 1926.

, UNITED STATES WILLIAM R., WILEY, OF MOUNT -CLEMENS, MICHIGA.

GOLF-BALL TEE.

Application filed August 26, 1925. Serial No. 52,496.

This invention relates to a golf balltee, and has for its object an improved means by which the positioning of a golf ballY for driving may be afforded, regardless of any irregularities inthe surface of the ground at the point from which the ball is to be played, unusual height of the grass, or the like; it aims to provide a cheaply and easily made article of negligible weight, which will adequately supportthe ball to be played in suitably elevated position for the swinging stroke of a golf club in the hands of a player, and yet be of such light weight that if, due to a more or less inaccurately placed impact ofthe clubs head against it, it receives a part of the impact, `it will absorb so little thereof that no impairinent of the players drive results.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a`side elevational view' of av tee, with a golf ball positioned thereony Figure 2 is abview of the tee from above,

the lines of shading bringing out the .preferred leurvature of the part-s of the blank as bent Figure 3 is a perspective of a blank in process of being bent to finished form 4in die members. i

A represents a blank, of such pliable material as sheet aluminum, preferably of equilaterally triangular shape and with slightly rounded corners, whose central portion B may, ifl desired, be dished or concaved slightly, as by stamping or press action,-

leaving the points or tips C initially un- 'touched. These are thereafter (or, if desired, in the same operation as the dishin bent over at an angle to the plane of th sheet as a whole, though not so far as a right-angular position, either vmanually' or by die action, so that when the points are rested upon the ground, the dished central part is positioned sufficiently thereabove to compensate for any adjacent surface irregularities, height of the grass, or lthe like, which if the golfball D were rested directly thereon, VVwould more or less impair ac curate and unimpaired swing of the playing head of the club thereagainst. If the ground surface is leveland hard, the points C ,are merely rested thereon; on theVV other hand, if the ground surface is sandy or otherwise soft or irregular, one or moreof the points C may be pressed thereinto the requisite distance for the tees firm positioning. In either case the ball is supported at such a height-Uabove'the yconfusing or obstructing ground irregularities that a stroke may be carried through with a maximum of accuracy. The weight of the sheet metal the clubs impact is partly spent on it,Y the force of the drive on the ball is not impaired; 'and if the tee is struck sufficiently to displace it, its light weight compared with its bulk is such as to prevent it from moving any such distance through the air that its recovery for re-use would not be at all diiiicult.

By the use of such a tee, there is obviated any necessity of providing a sand box at each tee for the players use in building up suitable tees for each stroke, and Ain they case of a. more or less inaccurate drive by a player, those standing nearbyfare spared the possibility of-a shower of sand as a penalty for having stood too close. These sheet metal tees are cheaply and veasily made, and consequently if 4any become lost or crumpled up, the loss lmay be ignored.

While, because of the thinness of they sheet metal preferably made use of, the downward bending of the points C can, if desired, be eHected manually, this may also be done, particularly in the case of quantity production, byx bending them over a subjacently positioned truncated conical die, in which case a slight curvature or bulge 'is imparted to the metal between the dished center por tion B and the tips of the points C, asindi.- cated at F,'which is found to lend a desirable rigidity to the shell as a whole.

What Ivclaim is: 1. A golf ball tee, comprisin a centrally dished triangle of sheet meta having its points downwardly bent to form supports, whereby said central portion is supported above the surface Whereon such points rest. 2. A golf ball tee, consisting of an loriginally triangular sheet metal piece, the

points of which have been bent downwardlyl to form spaced supports and the central l portion of which has been slightlyconcaved toform aseat for a ball restedthereon.

3. A sheet metal golf ball tee, consisting of a ball-supporting central portion and a plurality of points radiating therefrom and bent downwardly .to effect the spacing of the central portion and its supported ball above the surface whereonthe tips of said points rest.

4. As a new article of yIn'fimufact1-ire, a golf ball tee consisting of an e uilaterally tri- 5. s la .new article of manufacture, a angular piece of relatively t in sheet metal sheet metal golf ball tee, consisting of an 10 having downwardly bent angular tip porinitially plane triangular blank bent to form tions and a slightly dished central portion a shell of partly truncated conical contour. adapted to be held at the desired height In testimony whereof I sign this specifiabove the supporting surface whereon said cation.

points are rested, for resting` a golf ball thereon preparatory to its being driven. p WILLIAM It. WILEY. 

